"Music (4am)" [ft. Buggsy]

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Via Pitchfork

"The Vision (Let Me Breathe)", post-dubstep/"purple" producer Joker's collaboration with singer Jessie Ware, was a satisfying slice of post-Katy B pop, yet it carried an air of academic obligation, as if working with a female singer were akin to starting college. Which is to say less that Joker's new song with UK rapper Buggsy is breaking ground (it isn't, of course), and more that Joker's beats have long been begging to be rapped over. Early singles "Digidesign" and "Purple City", while clearly UK bass music, were steeped in American rap, warping G-funk into a decayed monster and even recalling Timbaland at his most sinister (think Bubba Sparxxx's "Ugly", Tim's flip of his own "Get Ur Freak On"). But, either intentionally or not, those singles also weren't too far off of what was happening in Southern rap at the time, where Shawty Redd was lacing Young Jeezy with pulverizing synth workouts and Drumma Boy was composing beats that made it seem like he had four hands.

So maybe what's most impressive about "Music (4am)" is that it succeeds while being basically none of that. Though the song might strike some as Joker defanged, it's really a production that acknowledges that his previous work would've likely swallowed MCs whole. Instead he works off the blueprint of traditional dubstep, chipping away at synths and string and vocal samples, allowing Buggsy to color the canvas. And though the rapper's take on (spoiler alert) "I Used to Love H.E.R." is a bit played, it's largely irrelevant anyway. "Music (4am)" is truly a showcase for Joker's versatility, and self-awareness, as a producer.